Category Archives: Hardware

The following guest post is from my good friend and technology guru, Larry Port:

You’re almost out of time, getting to the point that you aren’t going to be able to order that present online for Christmas. For better or for worse, there’s still that last bastion of shopper accessibility, the mall.

And a lot of your malls will have an Apple Store. And that’s good, because it means you can park the car, run through the mall and avoid wandering like an aimless beast, and get into the Apple store and out with the following goodies:

Until the iWatch comes out, there’s no cooler-looking digital display than the Nike Fuel Band. Look to wearable tech being the biggest theme in consumer electronics over the next two years, and Nike is on the bleeding edge of this stuff.

Like other products such as FitBit, the Fuel band tracks your exerted energy throughout the day and allows you to upload your information via a paired app. People who like this thing often use it with their friends, and they compete to see who’s more active or not. Best bet: get one for you and one for another person, and push each other to get some six-pack abs in 2014.

You can spend $40 or over $200 on small, portable bluetooth speakers. This crazy-looking device from Phillips packs a punch of sound, which is wild considering it is shorter than an actual iPhone. If you’re looking for a less expensive gift for your Apple enthusiast friend, this may suit the bill.

It’s worth noting that Beats™ and Bose both manufacture miniature Bluetooth speaker systems. Apparently the merchants have discovered a whole new segment of sound consumers, those interested in portability. Also, portable iPhone speakers were the number one gift at our company white elephant gift exchange.

The people who really know go to town on their iPads are the ones who have an attached keyboard. As a consumption device, the Apple tablet is amazing. But as a production device, you’re a little hampered by the physical keyboard, or lack thereof.

Enter Logitech’s awesome little keyboard cases. Not only do they protect your device, but the Bluetooth connectivity affords you a wire-free iPad experience. The cover is a very slickly-designed, rugged Kevlar-like surface, and the device slips into place quite easily. This might easily qualify as the perfect gift for yourself. It will change the way you interact with your iPad Mini.

Phone cases are a perfect auxiliary gift. They’re the kind of thing people want to buy more often than they do. The mere switching of the phone case can make the device seem new again.

You can go crazy with new cases if you haven’t seen what’s out there. Some of them are built to withstand what seem like nuclear explosions. Others are small and light, made of leather or wood,or even resemble books. This one is from designer Kate Spade – her brand recognition will legitimize this gift (as long as this is a supplemental gift and not the main one).

I’m a software engineer that has built his own computers and compiled Linux kernels. Computer-wise, I’ve seen it all, and the best machine I’ve ever owned BY FAR is the MacBook Air. In fact, I feel so passionately about the MacBook Air that I’m inspired to write a sonnet for it.

The battery lasts 10 hours. It is light as a feather. It’s fast as can be, because the solid-state hard drive allows read-access at much higher speeds than traditional spinning hard drives. Bottom line is if you think a laptop is in the cards for someone this holiday season, go for the MacBook Air.

On this one I have to be honest: I would never spend this kind of scratch on headphones. But plenty of people do and swear by Beats™ by Dr. Dre™ and their beautiful creations. Their mission is super-amazing sound, and they want to introduce “an entirely new generation to the possibilities of premium sound entertainment.”

I will say this – it’s very cool to see someone approach an unloved design space and turn it on its head. Beats did that for headphones, and Next did it for, of all things, thermostats. Personally, I cannot wait until some people from Apple leave to create the most gorgeous turkey baster ever.

About the Author :: Larry Port is the CEO and Chief Software Architect of Rocket Matter an online legal software platform for time and billing and practice management. He also runs Rocket X1, an Internet marketing agency for professional service firms. Larry writes on technology, business, and marketing topics for legal publications and speaks at legal conferences around the country.

Did you have any idea that there was a “correct” way (and a wrong way) to wrap a MacBook’s charging cord? Come on, be honest now. I didn’t know – and I’m the Mac Lawyer!

Of course, I learned the hard way that after several years of use and wrapping with the willy-nilly method, cords would fray and eventually break. Surely, that’s not the way Apple intended it to happen.

Last week, I learned the “right” way to wrap a power cord, as shown in the image at right. The key is to use the collapsable set of clips on the side of the adapter, which are not just for decoration.

Everyone seems to have their own theory about what does (and doesn’t) affect the battery life of iPads and iPhones. Which ones are true and which are not? Macworld published an article last week that examined various techniques which have been alleged to shorten or lengthen the battery life of iOS devices, and their conclusions are:

You’ve probably heard the saying that “timing is everything” – and it certainly applies to knowing when to buy, keep, or upgrade Apple products.

The following websites can prove extremely helpful when determining how long you should hold onto a Macintosh (or other iDevice) before upgrading, and when would be the ideal time to purchase a new one:

Because I freely admit that I am one of the worst about lusting after Apple’s new products (many long before they are released), I ask my readers to do as I say, not as I do. In any event, I hope these resources are helpful to you.

You’ve probably heard the saying that “timing is everything” – and it certainly applies to knowing when to buy, keep, or upgrade Apple products.

The following websites can prove extremely helpful when determining how long you should hold onto a Macintosh (or other iDevice) before upgrading, and when would be the ideal time to purchase a new one:

Because I freely admit that I am one of the worst about lusting after Apple’s new products (many long before they are released), I ask my readers to do as I say, not as I do. In any event, I hope these resources are helpful to you.

I am pleased to present the conclusion of the Guest Post from Jim McLaren and Jonathan Lounsberry explaining how they use iPads and Macs in their family law practice. If you missed it, you can click here to read Part One. Thanks again to Jim and Jonathan for sharing this information with my readers.

Once all of the depositions are completed and the case is moving towards final preparation for the trial, we identify the key exhibits for trial. An exhibit list for each witness is prepared, as is an overall exhibit list. All of this is keyed in and correlated in the Trial Notebook. Besides creating exhibit lists, we also prepare lists of the potential witnesses and issues. The exhibit, witness and issue lists are used to create our trial outline giving us a “roadmap” for trial. With all the outline and lists completed, we are generally ready for the trial and the presentation of testimony and exhibits.

Our basic set-up in the courtroom is much like our deposition set-up. My rule-of-thumb is to be totally self-sufficient and not depend on any locally provided services. We bring the MacBook Air, iPads (Wi-Fi and 4G), extension cords, multi-plugs, 4G Hot Spot, chargers, VPN and Wi-Fi access to our servers at the office, thumbdrives, printers, gaffer’s tape and everything else we need to operate throughout the trial. We usually request a staging room (if available) where we keep the printer (set-up and ready to use), an additional computer and hardcopies of documents (separated by day in which we anticipated using them).

In the trial of a case, we use TrialPad to present our exhibits. Clean paper copies of the exhibits are marked and entered into evidence as official exhibits, with copies to all involved counsel and an extra copy for the judge. As each exhibit is entered into evidence, our highlighted exhibits in TrialPad are put up on a screen (already in the courtroom or provided by us) in front of the attorneys, the trial judge and the witnesses. Important portions of documents are displayed using the “call out” feature of TrialPad. Either an associate or a paralegal operates TrialPad from our counsel table; quite effective and easy to use. No fumbling or waiting until the witness gets to page 188 of a 256 page document – we take the witness, the trial judge and all counsel directly to the excerpt.

Another effective way we present testimony and evidence in trial is through a PowerPoint presentation (or Keynote, if you are a Mac-user). I have found that using a PowerPoint presentation allows for a more structured examination of a witness or opening/closing argument. We like to keep our slides simple, illustrating single points or facts. Our motto is “detailed brevity”. This is important to keep the trial judge or jury focused and able to easily retain a larger percentage of the witnesses’ testimony. Depending on the length of the hearing and the electronic capabilities of the courtroom, we use either a laptop or an iPad (through Keynote or TrialPad) to present our PowerPoints.

Most of our office hardware and software is Microsoft-based. While some are Apple-based, that is the exception. Prior to the spring of 2011, I always had a reluctance to move into Apple products fearing they would not be compatible or usable with our Microsoft-based systems. Having incorporated Apple products into our workflow, I find the Apple products are not only very intuitive but each product has become almost indispensable. Using Apple products has definitely changed the way we present a case during trial.

I hope you find this post helpful. My goal is to give the reader an idea of how we use technology in our practice, and I hope your path to successfully using technology in the courtroom has been shortened. Thank you.

About the Authors:

James T. McLaren maintains a statewide family law practice emphasizing complex marital litigation in Columbia, South Carolina. He is a partner in the law firm of McLaren & Lee. He currently serves as First Vice-President and is on the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and he is a Diplomate of the American College of
Family Trial Lawyers and a Fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

Jonathan W. Lounsberry has B.A.’s in Philosophy and Political Science from the University of South Carolina (2006) and a J.D. from the Charleston School of Law (2009). He is a member of the Charleston County Bar and the South Carolina Bar. He practices in the areas of complex domestic litigation and juvenile justice.

I am pleased to present the conclusion of the Guest Post from Jim McLaren and Jonathan Lounsberry explaining how they use iPads and Macs in their family law practice. If you missed it, you can click here to read Part One. Thanks again to Jim and Jonathan for sharing this information with my readers.

Once all of the depositions are completed and the case is moving towards final preparation for the trial, we identify the key exhibits for trial. An exhibit list for each witness is prepared, as is an overall exhibit list. All of this is keyed in and correlated in the Trial Notebook. Besides creating exhibit lists, we also prepare lists of the potential witnesses and issues. The exhibit, witness and issue lists are used to create our trial outline giving us a “roadmap” for trial. With all the outline and lists completed, we are generally ready for the trial and the presentation of testimony and exhibits.

Our basic set-up in the courtroom is much like our deposition set-up. My rule-of-thumb is to be totally self-sufficient and not depend on any locally provided services. We bring the MacBook Air, iPads (Wi-Fi and 4G), extension cords, multi-plugs, 4G Hot Spot, chargers, VPN and Wi-Fi access to our servers at the office, thumbdrives, printers, gaffer’s tape and everything else we need to operate throughout the trial. We usually request a staging room (if available) where we keep the printer (set-up and ready to use), an additional computer and hardcopies of documents (separated by day in which we anticipated using them).

In the trial of a case, we use TrialPad to present our exhibits. Clean paper copies of the exhibits are marked and entered into evidence as official exhibits, with copies to all involved counsel and an extra copy for the judge. As each exhibit is entered into evidence, our highlighted exhibits in TrialPad are put up on a screen (already in the courtroom or provided by us) in front of the attorneys, the trial judge and the witnesses. Important portions of documents are displayed using the “call out” feature of TrialPad. Either an associate or a paralegal operates TrialPad from our counsel table; quite effective and easy to use. No fumbling or waiting until the witness gets to page 188 of a 256 page document – we take the witness, the trial judge and all counsel directly to the excerpt.

Another effective way we present testimony and evidence in trial is through a PowerPoint presentation (or Keynote, if you are a Mac-user). I have found that using a PowerPoint presentation allows for a more structured examination of a witness or opening/closing argument. We like to keep our slides simple, illustrating single points or facts. Our motto is “detailed brevity”. This is important to keep the trial judge or jury focused and able to easily retain a larger percentage of the witnesses’ testimony. Depending on the length of the hearing and the electronic capabilities of the courtroom, we use either a laptop or an iPad (through Keynote or TrialPad) to present our PowerPoints.

Most of our office hardware and software is Microsoft-based. While some are Apple-based, that is the exception. Prior to the spring of 2011, I always had a reluctance to move into Apple products fearing they would not be compatible or usable with our Microsoft-based systems. Having incorporated Apple products into our workflow, I find the Apple products are not only very intuitive but each product has become almost indispensable. Using Apple products has definitely changed the way we present a case during trial.

I hope you find this post helpful. My goal is to give the reader an idea of how we use technology in our practice, and I hope your path to successfully using technology in the courtroom has been shortened. Thank you.

About the Authors:

James T. McLaren maintains a statewide family law practice emphasizing complex marital litigation in Columbia, South Carolina. He is a partner in the law firm of McLaren & Lee. He currently serves as First Vice-President and is on the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and he is a Diplomate of the American College of
Family Trial Lawyers and a Fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

Jonathan W. Lounsberry has B.A.’s in Philosophy and Political Science from the University of South Carolina (2006) and a J.D. from the Charleston School of Law (2009). He is a member of the Charleston County Bar and the South Carolina Bar. He practices in the areas of complex domestic litigation and juvenile justice.

I have had the privilege of seeing several presentations by my friend (and trial lawyer extraordinaire) Jim McLaren explaining how he uses iPads and Macs in his family law practice. I asked Jim and his associate, Jonathan Lounsberry, to write this Guest Post to share this valuable information with my readers, and I greatly appreciate their generosity and willingness to do so. Part One appears below, and Part Two will be published on Thursday:

First, I want to thank Ben Stevens for giving me this opportunity. My intention is not to lecture on how to handle a case from top to bottom. Rather, I hope to share my firm’s learning experience in dealing with technological and organizational challenges in critical phases of the litigation process. The choices, good, bad and in-between, will be shared. Hopefully, some of our experiences will shorten your path to successfully using technology in and out of the courtroom.

Remember, this is a team effort. Our staff is very specialized and experienced, each having an integral role. Input and participation from everyone in the office is essential. All lawyers and staff must know how to fly the plane. Since our approach to litigation of cases is a team effort, everyone on the team must be able to use the necessary tools.

Like many, we began with carbon copies and semi-manual typewriters. Now, we are fairly sophisticated from a technology standpoint, always trying to stay on the cutting edge of technology. When a case demands it, everyone in the office collapses around and works on that case during critical stages, such as preparing for trial, hearings or depositions. We endeavor to produce (in a short period of time) high-quality legal work.

We use technology throughout all phases of the litigation process. The two phases where technology has the most impact are depositions and trial. Below are the ways our firm uses technology during these two critical phases.

In depositions, I prefer to have three iPads in front of me as well as my MacBook Air, together with multiple hard copies and an index of all exhibits and a list of questions or subject areas I intend to cover with the witness. Why do I use three iPads?

On iPad #1 (Evernote), I have my deposition cross-examination outline, and any summaries or comparative analyses I plan to refer to during the deposition. Evernote allows me to collect and combine a multitude of information into a single repository. Also with Evernote Business, anyone at the firm can access and update the deposition cross-examination outline, summaries or comparative analyses. We refer to this iPad as the “OutlinePad”.

On iPad #2 (PDF Expert), I have annotated copies of all of the exhibits I intend to enter during the deposition. PDF Expert allows me to annotate the exhibits and highlight what I am going after. Other good Apps for that purpose are Adobe Reader, iAnnotate and Good Reader. We refer to this iPad as the “ExhibitPad”.

iPad #3 (BT Chat HD), is used exclusively for communication during the deposition with my experts, my client and co-counsel. I have used both email and messaging (BT Chat HD or Apple iOS Messages) for this purpose. I find messaging is the best method, being a little bit cleaner and more efficient. Messaging eliminates the clutter of email chains and extraneous emails. We refer to this iPad as the “YammerPad”.

Sure, you can get away with one iPad, but it is difficult to maneuver between the screens in the heat of a deposition. It is better to have three – they are cheap and make your work easier and more manageable.

On the MacBook Air, we maintain the case Encyclopedia Britannica (Trial Notebook) allowing me to access any information about the case, particularly anything I have overlooked in preparation. You should not undervalue having everything about the case with you. The witness probably will bring up some obscure document you logged, bates-stamped and have readily available in the Trial Notebook.

Following the deposition, we always request the transcript in electronic (preferably .txt format) and paper forms. Once we get the deposition transcript in the office, we go about the business of summarizing the depositions. The summarization process is done with either iAnnotate or Transcript Pad. Whomever you designate to do the deposition summary should have a good handle on the case and the subject matter to be highlighted. Part Two will explain how technology can assist you in the courtroom. Stay tuned…

About the Authors:

James T. McLaren maintains a statewide family law practice emphasizing complex marital litigation in Columbia, South Carolina. He is a partner in the law firm of McLaren & Lee. He currently serves as First Vice-President and is on the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and he is a Diplomate of the American College of Family Trial Lawyers and a Fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

Jonathan W. Lounsberry has B.A.’s in Philosophy and Political Science from the University of South Carolina (2006) and a J.D. from the Charleston School of Law (2009). He is a member of the Charleston County Bar and the South Carolina Bar. He practices in the areas of complex domestic litigation and juvenile justice.

I have had the privilege of seeing several presentations by my friend (and trial lawyer extraordinaire) Jim McLaren explaining how he uses iPads and Macs in his family law practice. I asked Jim and his associate, Jonathan Lounsberry, to write this Guest Post to share this valuable information with my readers, and I greatly appreciate their generosity and willingness to do so. Part One appears below, and Part Two will be published on Thursday:

First, I want to thank Ben Stevens for giving me this opportunity. My intention is not to lecture on how to handle a case from top to bottom. Rather, I hope to share my firm’s learning experience in dealing with technological and organizational challenges in critical phases of the litigation process. The choices, good, bad and in-between, will be shared. Hopefully, some of our experiences will shorten your path to successfully using technology in and out of the courtroom.

Remember, this is a team effort. Our staff is very specialized and experienced, each having an integral role. Input and participation from everyone in the office is essential. All lawyers and staff must know how to fly the plane. Since our approach to litigation of cases is a team effort, everyone on the team must be able to use the necessary tools.

Like many, we began with carbon copies and semi-manual typewriters. Now, we are fairly sophisticated from a technology standpoint, always trying to stay on the cutting edge of technology. When a case demands it, everyone in the office collapses around and works on that case during critical stages, such as preparing for trial, hearings or depositions. We endeavor to produce (in a short period of time) high-quality legal work.

We use technology throughout all phases of the litigation process. The two phases where technology has the most impact are depositions and trial. Below are the ways our firm uses technology during these two critical phases.

In depositions, I prefer to have three iPads in front of me as well as my MacBook Air, together with multiple hard copies and an index of all exhibits and a list of questions or subject areas I intend to cover with the witness. Why do I use three iPads?

On iPad #1 (Evernote), I have my deposition cross-examination outline, and any summaries or comparative analyses I plan to refer to during the deposition. Evernote allows me to collect and combine a multitude of information into a single repository. Also with Evernote Business, anyone at the firm can access and update the deposition cross-examination outline, summaries or comparative analyses. We refer to this iPad as the “OutlinePad”.

On iPad #2 (PDF Expert), I have annotated copies of all of the exhibits I intend to enter during the deposition. PDF Expert allows me to annotate the exhibits and highlight what I am going after. Other good Apps for that purpose are Adobe Reader, iAnnotate and Good Reader. We refer to this iPad as the “ExhibitPad”.

iPad #3 (BT Chat HD), is used exclusively for communication during the deposition with my experts, my client and co-counsel. I have used both email and messaging (BT Chat HD or Apple iOS Messages) for this purpose. I find messaging is the best method, being a little bit cleaner and more efficient. Messaging eliminates the clutter of email chains and extraneous emails. We refer to this iPad as the “YammerPad”.

Sure, you can get away with one iPad, but it is difficult to maneuver between the screens in the heat of a deposition. It is better to have three – they are cheap and make your work easier and more manageable.

On the MacBook Air, we maintain the case Encyclopedia Britannica (Trial Notebook) allowing me to access any information about the case, particularly anything I have overlooked in preparation. You should not undervalue having everything about the case with you. The witness probably will bring up some obscure document you logged, bates-stamped and have readily available in the Trial Notebook.

Following the deposition, we always request the transcript in electronic (preferably .txt format) and paper forms. Once we get the deposition transcript in the office, we go about the business of summarizing the depositions. The summarization process is done with either iAnnotate or Transcript Pad. Whomever you designate to do the deposition summary should have a good handle on the case and the subject matter to be highlighted. Part Two will explain how technology can assist you in the courtroom. Stay tuned…

About the Authors:

James T. McLaren maintains a statewide family law practice emphasizing complex marital litigation in Columbia, South Carolina. He is a partner in the law firm of McLaren & Lee. He currently serves as First Vice-President and is on the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and he is a Diplomate of the American College of Family Trial Lawyers and a Fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

Jonathan W. Lounsberry has B.A.’s in Philosophy and Political Science from the University of South Carolina (2006) and a J.D. from the Charleston School of Law (2009). He is a member of the Charleston County Bar and the South Carolina Bar. He practices in the areas of complex domestic litigation and juvenile justice.

Barely a day passes at the moment without something of a flurry of new Apple rumors from ‘credible’ sources and so-called industry ‘experts’ across the board, with regard to weird and wonderful launches set to take place in the not so distant future. Indeed, the sheer volume of such speculative reports alone results in the requirement to take them all with a pinch of salt transcending to a level of numb passiveness, as to believe each and every one would see a new device landing in our laps or pockets practically every day. So, a rather common approach has come to be that of ignorance – burying heads in the sand, if you will, while awaiting something factual. That being said, with a fair degree of logic and common sense, it is certainly possible to sift through what we know, or what we think we know, in order to establish exactly what seems most feasible in relation to each and every one of the currently fictitious creations.

iPhone 5

Of course, nothing is generating more buzz the world over right now than the ever-elusive iPhone 5, which has achieved staggering levels of popularity made even more impressive by that fact that it may or may not yet exist. The ‘what’ to expect in relation to the iPhone 5 has prompted some truly imaginative and optimistic guesswork which, following the habits of Apple as a whole, all seem at least modestly realistic. It doesn’t take a genius to assume that iPhone 5 will feature improved processing power, smoother user-interface, longer battery life and a whole army of bells and whistles by way of software tweaks – as such has always been the Apple way launch after launch. Instead, it hints toward NFC technology, bigger screen and improved capacity that have captured the most imagination, though again, there is as much evidence to the contrary as there is in favor.

So, all we know so far is that we don’t know anything…so when will we be finding out? The unveiling of the full-fat, full-sugar iOS 5 at the recent WWDC in San Francisco caused quite a stir, largely due to the glaring absence of any appropriate hardware to actually use the software to its full potential. One would have to assume that Apple would not produce software for a device that doesn’t exist, therefore logic would state that the iPhone 5 is indeed out there waiting to be shipped. Indeed, with iOS 5 due for official release in September, such could indeed also signal the arrival of the next iPhone.

iPhone 4S

Rumor has it that either alongside or as something of a prequel to the iPhone 5 release, an entry-level or ‘baby’ iPhone by the name of the 4S is also just around the corner. While it would be optimistic to call details even ‘sketchy’ at present, there is something of a global industry consensus that Apple has the developing markets of the world squarely within its sites. Indeed, 1.5 billion consumers equates to 1.5 billion potential new customers – which is certainly an appealing prospect for any manufacturer. In order to tap into this market, expectations about for a stripped down iPhone for around $350, which will come contract-free and sport the vast majority of the features of the iPhone 4…if to a slightly lesser extent.

An ideal accompaniment to the iPhone 5 or worthy of an independent launch in its own right? Again, all eyes are focused on September.

iPad 3…..D?

With the dust having barely settled from the somewhat questionably managed launch of iPad 2, the attention of millions the world over has already been turned to the possibility of an iPad 3 before the holiday season. Of course, there are huge questions to be asked regarding the merit of releasing a new tablet PC right on the heels of another, but if there is one thing we are beginning to learn from Apple it is to expect the unexpected. With regard to whether or not the iPad 3 would have the desired impact, talk of a screen with 400% increased resolution and perhaps 3D capabilities have whetted many a whistle to say the least. Furthermore, there really isn’t an Apple product out there that could suffer even the most remote failure to launch if timed to coincide with the holiday season…as we all know very well indeed!

iPod

What has been notably lacking from discussion throughout the entirety of 2011 so far is that of the iPod and iPod touch range. Such products seem to have been completely overshadowed by other Apple products to the point where their usual September upgrade cycle is neither expected nor particularly highly anticipated. It seems on the other hand that is their usual September spotlight is handed over to a new iPhone or iPad, the move would be a forgivable one in the eyes of most.

About the Author: Susan Black lives in Brooklyn and is a self-confessed iPad fanatic. She’s written this guide to the latest Apple rumours on behalf of sofasandsectionals.com and has not received compensation for it.